Fair-stitch sewing-machine.



'No. 666,4l6. Patented Jan. 22, I901.

. T. GARE.

FAIR STITCH SEWING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 29, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 666,4"5. Patented Jan. 22, mm.

T. GARE. FAIR STITCH SEWING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 29, 1898.)

2 Sheets-$heet 2.

(No Model.)

UNKTE STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

1 Thomas cans, or 'romcron'r, anon-(N1 FAIR-STITCH SEWING-:MACHlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666.416, dated January 22. 1901.

Applicati Ill filed April 29, 1898.

To 1/. IIf/IUIII. may.mum/era.-

lle it. known that. l, 'lnonas GARE, a subject of the (Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Stoekport, in the county of Chester, Kingdom or (treat llritain, have invented a new and useful Machine for Stitching 'logcther Pieces ot' Leather and other 'lhick Material, (for which I have obtained provisional protection in Great- ];ritain, No. 222,901, hearing date October 7, 1897,.) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to imprm'emeuts.in that type of machines for stitching together pieces of leather and other thick material in staple .fashion in which a vertically-reciprocated awl operates in conjunction with a neevdie, the objects being to simplify and render such machines more reliable in action and applicable for uniting pieces of material irregular in thickncss. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1., Street I, is a side view, and Fig. 2 a frontview, of the head of the machine. Fig. 2 is a front view of a detail. Figs. 3 and t are respective] ya cross-section and a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale,ot' the workprieker, thread-retainer, and needle-tln'oat and thread-guide combined, the latter figure showingit in operation upon the work. Fig. 5 is a side View of the needle; and Fig. ii, a plan of the.work-prieker, thread-retainer, needle th roatand thrcad-guide,and detached presserfoot. Fig. 7, Sheet II, is a plan of the head of my improved machine; and Fig. 8, a side view, on a reduced scale, of the whole machine.

Similar letters refer to similar; parts throughout the several views.

Referringto Figs. 1, 2, 3, and t, a is the standard, I) the head carried thereby, and c the born or work-support. Iii the head I) is mounted the driving-shaftcand in frontthereof a vertical shaft], on which are adapted to move intermittently in a horizontal plane two frames y and It, extending, respectively, along the left and right side to the front of the head I: of the machine. The head I) is formed with an arm I), to which is connected a spring '1), the other end of which is carried by the frame g and the latter furnished with an ad vand its end is forked to receive and. allow'of' and is lormed'in a projection from the iinder side of said foot and is situated in a vertical 1 Serial No. 675L207. No model-I justable screw adapted to abut against the head ,h under the influence of thes rin 1'. 1

upper end jointed lO-jl. lever k adapted to rock on the head I and actuated by a cam [t l on the driving-shat: c. The sides of thence? dle It" are hollow to aecommodatethcthread,

the thread passingoverit.in being forcedinto. the hole pierced in the work. (See Figs. 4' and 5.) In order to insure the thread being." forced correctly into the hole pierced in the work and to admit of using thick thread inv proportion to the hole pierced and'thickness of needle used, 1 employa foot-piece" having a throat l, which guides and supportsthc necdle laterally, and. inthe-body of this toot; piece, having a throat at the side, I form a thread-guide m, through which the thread from the thread-guidem is passml'acrossthc path of the needle lineal with the stitches to. be formed in the work. The thread'guided in the mannordescribed obviatesslack thread. between the stitch to be formed and the-pt'eQ viously-formed one, and thus permits of foreing, the thread into the hole pierced in the" work at a tension which causes the work to be drawn tightly together, and *t-hereforeto bestitched more securely. 'lhe t'ootpiece is adapted to prick the work and retain the thread of the stitch formed, and thus prevent same being drawn out of thcwork when forcing in the next succeeding stitch. For this purpose the under side of the said foot is t'ormed with a tooth a and with a cavity oin front thereof, which cavity is narrower than plane, with the thread running'from stitchhole to stitch-hole in the work. This cavity is adapted to receive and press the said thread: portion upon the face of the work, and thus retain itthereon each time the thread coming from the guide-hole m is t'orced'into a stitch hole by the needle 1;. for the purpose ofpreventing the previous stitch made from being drawn out of. the work, while in the mean time the tooth n has entered and pricked thew work at each side of the stitch-formed. 'lhe pricker and retaining-bar p is placed under the influence of a spring 1), which tends to press the foot 10' upon the work; but to facilitate the feeding of the work it is raised automatically by means of a projection k, fixed adjustably on the needle-bar k and adapted to contact with a pin 11*, carried by the pricker and retaining-harp. In the front end of the other frame It is mounted vertically, intermitr tently movable, another bar q, the lower end of which is furnished with an awl upper end jointed to a lever q, a pted to rock on the head band actuated by a cam g on the driving-shaft e. This awl serves to pierce holes in the .work under operation for the reception of the thread which forms the fastening and also to feed the work, and for the latter purpose has imparted a laterallyintermittent movement by means of the cam 'r on the driving-shaft e and alever r, which is fulcrumed to the head b, and by means of a pivot 1'', connected to the lower part of the frame 71. The said lever and frame part are each formed with a slot rand h, respectively, in which the pivot r is rendered adjustable, and whereby the lateral movement-i. e., the feed by the awl q, and thus the length of stltches-can be varied at will.

Inorder to permit of the awi q descending clearof the end of the needle-throat, the frame 9 is furnished with acam-face b, (see Fig. 2,) adapted to act in conjunction with a small roller q, carried b the awl-bar q, so that when the awldeseends t e frame g,carrying the needle, is pushed to the left by means of the said cam-face and roller.

The awl I use has a flat or slightly-oval sectioued point, which forms slit-like holes in the work, which readily close, and a verticallyadjustable awl-steadier may be used, as shown in Fig. 2".

The thread used is well waxed and while passing through the machine is suitably warmed. 4

In order to keep the work firm upon the born or work-support 0 while the awl q pierces and the thread is forced into the work, a presserfootsis em ployed,carried bya hars',mounted, vertically movable, in the head I) in front of theshaft f. This presser-foot is depressed by a spring and autonmtically lifted while the work is fed by a plate :5, placed loosely thereon and adapted to nip it through the action of a lover s, pivoted to the head b and operatedby a cam s", Fig. 7, on th'edriving-shaft In some cases, however, the aforesaid prickcr and th read-retainer may be found su iicicnt to hold the work upon the horn or support, and thus the said pi'esser-foot may be dispensed with, in which case the needlethroat and thread-guide will be formed separate from the pricker and retainer.

The horn or work-support cis adapted to swivel on a vertical shaft mounted in the hearings u. (L2 01' the standard (1,, and is supported by a spring u, arranged between the lower hearing 1 and a collar'v, secured to the 3' and its scene shaft t, the said spring lifting the shaftt until the collar a abuts against the upper bearing a, and thus raises the horn or work'snpportc always to one level, at which it remains locked during the whole operatiou'of stitching. This locking is effected by splitting one .sidefof the upper bearinga' and drawing the same tight. around the shaft t by a screw it, furnished with a handle as. In order toj'acilitater the placing of the work upon the born or work-support c and the removal therefrom, a foot-lever y is provided, by which the shaft tcan be depressed after having previously been unlocked. This arrangement of horn or work-support-i. e.,the same remaining sta-' tionary during the whole operation of stitching, together withthe presser-foot s, which is under the influence of a spring a, or wicket and retainer n 0 when 'such serves as a presser-foot -is an important feature of my invention, as such device permits of driving the thread lalwa s through the whole thickness of the wor irrespective of its varying thickness.

The machine described operates as follows:

After the work has been placed upon the born or support arid underneath the presser-foot and pricker and retainer and the horn'orwork? support has been locked in its position the machine isset in operation, which causes the awl to descend part wayinto the work. The

awl then rises slightly and while still in the" workfmoves laterally and feeds the work forward to the left. when the and has arrived over the center of the ho. a or work-support, its lateral movement is interrupted and it is caused to demend further and completely pierce the work. Theawl is then raised, and

the needle jointly with the work-pricker and thread-retainer'and need le-throat and threadgn'ide are moved to the right again and the throat brought over the hole pierced in the work. The ne le then immediately begins to dcscendand forces the thread in loop'fashion into t hole ieroed in the work, while in the meantime work at each side of the tliread and the retainer has retained the same between the previous stitch and the stitch just formed, as

shown in Fig. 4. The needle then risesand the awl deseendstzgain, and the operation described is repea What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. Inamachine forstitohing other pieces of leather or other thick mate al in staple fashion, in combination an awl for piercing and feeding the work, a needle for forcing the thread into the hole pierced and means for actuating the said awl and needle, a footpiece having a throat with means for moving the same laterally intermittently in line with and supporting the said needle and also have pricker has pricked the ing in its sidea passage which-guides thethread across the path of the said needle, lineal with the stitches in the work, said passage being independent of andi n advance of I is seems fashion, in combination an awl for piercing andfeeding the Work, a needle for forcing-"the 1 Thread into the hole pierced and means for actuating the said awl and needle, a foot havinn; a throat for supporting the said needle and havin" a passa e independent oi the neetile-throat for guiding the thread across the path of the said needle lineal with the stitches, said foot also having a tooth and a cavity in from thereof in a vertical plane with the thread running from stitch hole to hole the sails ofsaid cavity projecting from the under side of the said foot, the said tooih being adapted to prick the Work and the said cavity to retain the said thread portion while form,-

ing a stitch, all substantially as set forth.

In a machine for stitc ing together pieces of leather or other thick materialin' staple fashion, in combination, an and for piercing and feeding the work, a needle for forcing the thread into the hole pierced and means for actuating the said awl and needle, a foot having a work-pricker and thread-retainer and formed with a throat which supports the said needle and also having a passage inadvance and independent of the throat for the needle for guiding the thread across the path of the said needle lineal with the stitches in the work, all substantially as and for the purpose setforth,

4; In a machine for stitching together pieces of leather or other thick material in staple fashion, an awl. for vertically piercing and feeding the work, a needle for forcing the,

thread in loop fashioninto the said holes, a presser-foot under the influence of a spring and means for actuating the said awl, needle and presser-foot, a horn or work-support rest ing upon a spring and means for locking the same vertically in position during the stitching operation to allow of forcing the thread into the stitch-holes to the under side of the work, all to exactly one level irrespective of the varying thickness of the said. pieces and means for releasing and depressing the said horn or Work-support for the purpose of plaoing into and removing the Work from the machine, ali substantially. as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two Witnesses.

4 THOMAS GAR-E. Witnesses:

ALFRED BOSSHARDT,

STANLEY E. BRAMALL. 

